Machine for dicing food products



y 8,- 1:. F. QUINN Em 2, 2,2w MACHINE FOR DI CING FOOD PRODUCTS Filed June 20, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l i E I I s 26 30, 23 l 8 1 X7 29' I o C I I 30 I 4 /3' 5 3! +14 2 H -21 7-i E r 7 INVENTORS PETER F. QUINN HAROLD J. QUALHEIM ATTQRNEYS May 25, 1948.

P. F. QUINN ETAL 2,442,210

MACHINE FOR DICING FOOD PRODUCTS Filed June 20, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS PETER F.QUINN HAROLD J.QUALHEIM ATTORNEYS May 25, 1948. P. F. QUINN ETAL MACHINE FOR DICING F001 PRODUCTS Filed June 20, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 25, 1948 u-mren PATENT OFFICE Peter I1.-Quinn .anflZHarold J. Qualheim, Racine, Wis, assignors ItoQualheim, incl, Racine, Wis;

Application Inne -20, 1946,..Serial No. crises '1 Claim. .1

Our invention refers to machines for vegetable products, and it has EfDIZ'I-HIS- objectieto provide a machine embodying'triple zslicin'gzidevices in gear connection,,one of which: zdevices 'is adapted to cut wholezslices from :a ;prod-uct,.while the other two devices are adapted. to slice and split the slices into lengths, whereby, f'f01 '-BX' ample, shoestring potatoes and, French potatoes are produced simultaneously with the slicing operation to economize in thetaime of preparing food products.

The specific objects of our invention: are:

To provide an open mouthed casingmfor the several power drivenslicing devices and their driving gears,

To provide a reciprocativecarriage having; fine and coarse gangs of splitting; discs, the "same being worm driven from a non-reciprocative rotary shaft. 7

To provide slicing blades mounted upon. the reciprocative carriage having extensions for :slidably guiding said carriage in ohannei-stri-ps carried by the casing.

To provide a housing having-a nestot gears 'i or imparting drive to the various slicing mechanisms from a motor unit.

To provide a simpledriving mechanism for the slicing devices, wherein all journal bosses are oil-sealed to avoid oil holes and grease cups, whereby the mechanism is. protected from steam and water cleaning.

Our present invention particularly refers to "Machines for preparing food'products" disclosed in a co-pending application to Peter Quinn, patented August 20,1946, N0.2;406,,1'0T.

With the above and other objectsinview, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partssubStantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined'by the appended claim, it'being understood that such changes in the-preciseembodiment of the heroin disclosed invention may be made as come within the'scope'of the claim.

In the accompanying drawings is illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of the present invention constructed'according to the best mode so far devised for the practical" application of the principles thereof.

Inthe drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a planview of a machine embodying :the ieatures of our invention,v with parts broken away and other parts in. section to: more clearly illustrate structural features, the section being .partly indicatedby line 11 of Fig.6.. 7

Fig. .2 .is a longitudinal sectional elevation through the. machine, the section being indicated bylinelz-wlof Fig. 1'.

Fig. 3 is a, fragmentary sectional elevation through the splitting discs. and associated, parts, the-section being indicated'by line. 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4.11s a Iragmentanysectional end view of the .mac'hine through. the .feed hoppers, the section heingindicated by line 44 of Fig, 2. r

'5 is-a cross section through the machine, the section being indicated by line 54, of Figs.

.lland'LZ.

Fig. .6. is,' an end. vi.e.w of the machine illustrating the. rotary cutting disc with the cover plate removed. and partly in section as indicated by line '66 of'Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is. a plan view of the knife carrying cutting disc,v with partsv in section as indicated by linev lT .oi'Fig- '6.

Referringby characters .to the drawings, i ind'icates a hollow base, upon which is mounted an open mouthed casing 2. having side walls 2"-2" and an. integral endwall 3,, together with a removable front end'wal13 I ,The bottom of the casing is formed with .an opening therein aligned with the base i' and secured about said. bottom "opening is .a gear housing 4,.to the bottom of which housing is secured an electric'motor 5. The shaft 5. of the motor extends vertically upward through the housing and is suitably journal'ed therein.

The. motor shaft carries a. worm t in mesh with a worm wheel 1', which worm wheel is secured to a longitudinally disposed driven shaft ii, as best indicated in FigsQlpandZ of the drawings. The driven shaft 8 is suitably journaled" in the housing -5, the said journals being properly sealed.

Alsoj'ournaled in the housing 4 is a transversely disposed slicing disc shaft 3., the same being extendedinto a circular jacket id, The jacket is upset from the casing in conjunction with a portion carried by the casing cover H. The jacket has-projecting therefrom an open mouthed hood. F2 for the reception of. root vegetables to be sliced. The bottom of the'jacket is formed with a dischargemouth-H";

32 journaled in the pocket walls,

The disc shaft 9 is driven by a worm l3 mounted on the shaft 8 in mesh with a worm wheel l3 secured to said disc shaft.

As best indicated in Figs. 1,' 6 and 7, a slicing disc I4, mounted in the jacket I0, is splined to the shaft 9, whereby it may be longitudinally adtable may be cut and discharged through the mouth l2 of the jacket.

In order to slice a root vegetable into predeter mined thicknesses, we provide a lever [1, which lever is pivoted to a boss extending downwardly 5 from the housing 4, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The outer end of the lever is provided with a knurled knob 3, which knob projects through v a slot in the casing wall 3 and is in threaded union with the end of the lever IT. This lever also extends through a slot l9 formed in one wall of the housing 4.

The'inner end of the lever I! terminates with a spanner H, which spanner engages a ring mounted in a groove formed by a bushing 2|, which is secured within the end of a hub 22 ex: tending inwardly from the disc. Bythe simple adjusting arrangement described, it will be noted, whenthe disc is to be moved in or out 'to re ulate the thickness of the slice, the knob I8 is loosened and thereafter shifted back or forth in the slots, whereby the lever will properly adjust the face of the disc, with reference to the knife bar 16. Thereafter the knob is tightened upon the threaded end of the lever to bind said lever gagement with the housing wall. In adjusting this knob l8, it should be noted that the wall 3 of the casing may be suitably scored to indicate the exact position of the lever, With reference to the thickness of the slice.

Reciprocatively mounted upon the driven shaft 8 is a carriage 23, the same being positioned at the front end of the casing, as best indicated in'Figs. 1 to 5,'inclusive, of the drawings. Reciprocative motion is imparted to the carriage 23 by a pitman rod 24, having one end in pivotal union with the carriage, and the rear end in pivotal union with a crank arm 25.

The pocket portion of the carriage 23 has extending therefrom, rearwardly of the splittin discs, a pair of wings 34 just above the groups of discs, and said disc groups are encased by outer facing plates 35 depending from the ends of the wings, and inner facing plates 35' which form part of the wings in conjunction with the carriage pocket, the same serving to deflect the split vegetable strips into discharge openings 36 formed in the bottom of the casing.

The mouth of the casing 2 has fitted thereover a cover I I having at itsrear end a pair of hop pers 38 provided'withdepending walls in juxtaposition with the carriage wings, the front wall being provided with a depending stop lip 39. The

carriage 23 has extended therefrom a pair of bottom plates 40,1the same being secured to the side ,walls of the carriage pocket and are positioned r'earwardly of'the carriage wings, the said plates being upon' the same. horizontal plane as the edge of. the hopperlip 39.

Theupper faces of the carriage wings 34 have secured thereto thin slicing blades 4! in slidable engagement with the lower edges of the hopper walls. These blades have track extensions 4|, which extensions are slidably mounted in slots of channel strips 42, as best indicated in Fig. 5of

the drawings. The channel strips are preferably oil treated and are secured to ribs 42 which pro ject inwardly from the sidewalls '22" of the casing 2. The blade extensions 4 l and the channel strips thus form guides for. the reciprocat'ive movement. g

It will be noted that the upper peripheral edge of the saw-toothed splitting discs are directly carriage, whereby the same is held against lateral 7 under therear edge of the wings. Hence; in

order to deflect a slice fed to the discs, we provide separating combs 43, which are intermeshed with the disc peripheries and'secured to the underface of the wings. After the strips'have been se vered by the discs, they are freed therefromby engage ment with a tangentiallyidisposed stripping comb 44, which comb is secured to the wall plates35.

From the foregoing description, it isapparent when a potato or other root product is force d downwardly into either one of'the hoppers 38, it

' will come to rest upon the bottom plate 40, and

The crank arm 25 is secured to the upper end I' r of a vertically disposed stud shaft 26, the ends of which stud'shaft are journaled in the upper and lower walls ,of the housing 4.. The stud shaft is rotated by a worm wheel 2! carried thereby, in mesh with a worm 28, which worm is secured to the rear end of the power shaft 8. I

The carriage 23 is provided with a central pocket 29 having sealed bearings 29, into which are journaled a sleeve 30 in spline connection with the extended end of the shaft 8, which shaft projects through the pocket bearings. r

The sleeve 30 carries an integral worm .30, which worm meshes with a worm wheel 3| encased in the carriage pocket. The worm wheel 3| is secured to a transversely disposed countershaft 7 root vegetables,

as the carriage moves rearwardly, in the, direc;

tion of the arrow in Fig. 3, a slice will be severed by the knife blade 4|, and as the carriage continue's in' its cutting movement, the slice, being held against the lip 39, will be forceddownwardly upon the slicing discs, whereby said slice willbe cut into narrow strips and thereafter. discharged through the casing mouth 36.

It should be understood that we. provide .a

motor circuit make and. break connection (not shown), whereby the current is cut off when the cover II is removed. i A

We claim: 7

Afood product slic' V g and splitting; machine comprising a casing, a removable covertherefor having depending walled feed hoppers, stop lips extending from the hopper walls, a'reciprocative :carriagehaving a pocket therein, wings exte dirig from the pocket under the edges of the' hopper walls, slicing blades secured to the wings having end extensions, hopper bottom plates extending from the carriage pockets in the rear of the wings and below the blades, a transversely disposed shaft journaled in the carriage pocket below the wings, groups of splitting discsrcarried by the shaft, guiding channel strips projecting.

from the casing'walls in engagement with the 5 blade extensions to form bearing supports for the REFERENCES CITED blades and guides for the carriage, .a, sleeve having its ends journaled in the carriage pocket g L g :g;.i me of record m the ends, a worm carried by the sleeve within the pocket, a worm Wheel fixed upon the splitting 5 UN TED STATES PATENTS disc shaft in mesh with the sleeve worm, and a, Number Name Date longitudinally disposed drive shaft journaled in 1,569 472 Fmney Jan 12 1926 the sleeve in spline connection therewith. 3, orfanson 16, 1934 PETER F. QUINN. 2,406,107 Quinn Aug, 20, 1946 HAROLD J. QUALHEIM. 

